Timing mechanism.



F. M. LEAVITT.

VTIMING MECHANISM. APPLlcATgoN FILED MAR. x4, 1912.

1,1345391 o Patented Apn 6, 1915.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apri n, 19h50 Application tiled March M, 191%. Serial No. 683,898.

To all whom t may concern: 2

Be it known that l, FRANK M. LnAvrr'r, a citizen ci the `United States, residing in Smithtown, in the county of Suolk and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Timing Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

rlFhis invention relates to mechanism for performing any prescribed act at the end of a given period of time. The act may be the affecting oit' a controlled part, as for eX- ample the starting or stopping of such part. The timing mechanism responds to the movement of some operating part, such for example as a revolving shaft, the movement of which may be at a uniform or at a variable rate. rlhe time between the starting oint and the culmination of the operation is determined by (l) the rate of movement of the impelling part, that is in the case of a revolving s'hait its speed of rotation; (2) the starting point which determines the distance to be traveled before the culmination, and the location of which point is adjustable; and (3) the gearing ratio or the extent to which the movement is reduced or slowed by an intermediate gear or gears.

Such timing apparatus are usetul flor many purposes in various types ot machinery. An important afield of usefulness is in the mechanism oit automobile torpedoes. ln such torpedoes timing mechanisms are or may be used (l) to control the starting of the engine upon launching to delay its full speeding until time has been aidorded tor the immersion oi' the torpedo; (2) to control the period during which the gyroscope is s un and determine the instant at which it s all he unloclred and set tree; (3) to control the the timing mechanism receiving its motion from a on a ra" idl` revolving shaft and serving upon completing its run to withdraw av latch and thereby release a springpressed slide.

Figure l is a sectional elevation of 'the mechanism. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation thereoi on a plane perpendicular to that or" Fig. l. Fig. 3 is an enlarged section of the adjustable spring case. Fig. t is a sectional elevation, showing a modiication of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, A is the irnpeller or motor shaft by which the timing mechanism is driven, and B is the moving part, the time of operation of which it is the function of the timing mechanism to determine. rlhis moving part B is shown as a slide which receives (through a lever C or otherwise) 'the stress of a spring C impelling it in the direction of the arrow, and is held locked against this stress by a bolt or latch D until this latch is withdrawn by the operation of the timing mechanism. This latch is pressed by a spring D into engagement with a notch or shoulder B on the slide B, in order to lock the latter; and is unlocked or released by being encountered by a slide or other moving part E which l will call the traveler and which may have a greater'or less movement before it encounters the latch. i

The shaft A may he driven hy any means whatever, as tor example by a turbine A', and may serve any desired purpose in the construction oit the torpedo or other appa-- ratus to which the present invention may be applied. .For example, it may carry a pinion A2 -lor driving the Hy wheel of the gyroscope in order to spin up the latter. The shaft Acarries a worm u which meshes with a worm wheel l) which constitutes one end of a gearing-down train F, which` ltrain may include a greater or lesser numher ot gears according to the duration ot time to be introduced as a constant. ln the particular construction shown the gear o has lined upon its spindle a pinion c which meshes lwith a 'gear d upon the spindle of which is fixed a pinion e, the latter constituting the terminus ot the train, and being adapted to mesh with a raclt f on` the traveler E. The train F is carried a trame Gr supported in any suitable manner, `losing shown carried by the slide l. The purpose ont mounting this trarne upon the slide is that when the slide is lockedthe lil@ ' separable from the barrel K, being pinion e shall be in mesh with the rack f,

but upon the unlocking of the slide and its displacementby its spring it shall carry the pinion e out of mesh with the rack f, as'v shown in Fig. l. j For restoring the traveler E to .its starting point and for enabling its starting point to be varied, it is connected to a spring-l n pressed part H shown 1n the form oI a lever,

lowers J J', and these in turn bear against normally coinciding shoulders on the rod I and in the barrel K. The shoulders on 'the rod I are lettered i y' and thosein the barrel Kl arelettered g and h respectively. The

shoulderj is formed by the end of a sleeve i D j which is suitably fastened onthe rod I. The shoulder h is likewise formed in a pa-t in t e shape of a screw plug h. These details,

1 however, may be varied at will. In opera- 4 tion .any displacement of the rod I to either side ofthe normal position causes the shoulder on the rod at`one end to engage the corresponding follower and forces it toward the middle, thereby compressing the spring .be-

tween this follower and the other one which remains seated against the shoulder in the barrel. The stress of the spring therefore tends to restore the parts to the normal central position. The parts are shown partly displacedvin Fig. 3. The effect of this construction is to restore the traveler E to its starting position after each operation immediately upon its being set free by the unmeshing of thepinion e and rack f.

For making the period of operation controllable at will, it 1s only necessary to prollongitudinally in a suitable support K.

The support Kfis shown as a split bracket having a clamping screw Lso that the barrel or spring carrier K might be 'given a sliding'adjustment and be clamped in place4 by this screw after such adjustment. It is preferable, however, -to make the barrel rotative and screw-threadedupon its exterior as shown, and provide it with a knurled head m by which to turn it. It is thus readily adjusted by rst slacking of the screw L,

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then turning the spring barrel until the traveler E is brought lto the desired point,

and then tightening the screw L to retainsV the adjustment. vIn Fig. 2 the center line e shows the center'of the lever Il at the starting `position and the line shows another one', ofV the various starting, positions to which the ldevice might'be adjusted. l

'Io set the apparatus for operation, it is only necessary to push the slide, B into the position at which it is to be locked,I whereupon the latch D enters its notch B and locks it. The displacement of the slide carries the train frame G to such position as to bring the pinion e into mesh with the rack f." The parts are now ready for start-' ing. Suppose now the shaft is set in ro- 7 tation as forexample by admitting air to spin the turbine A. Motion vis communicated by the worm a to the train .F which reduced by the ti-ain imparts a proportion atelyslowermotlon to the traveler E, which thereupon begins to move toward the latch The movement of the traveler is made against the stress of its spring S. The time required to complete its movement depends upon the length of its travel, which in turn depends upon the point from which it started as determined by the adjustment of the spring barrel K already described.' At 95 the end of its movement it strikes the latch D and forces the latter. back so that it unlocks he slide B, and this slide then is moved by its spring to the position in Fig. l. This movement carries the pinion c out of mesh with the rack j and thereby sets free the traveler E, whereupon the spring S immediately restores the traveler to its starting point ready for the next operation.`

The timing mechanism thus described may l be greatly varied in mechanical details and 1n arrangement of parts according tothe particular purpose for which it may be applied. The construction shown is a suitable example ofits embodiment, and lis the ne .best adapted to the particular purpose 1n view. l

Instead of taking motion from an air driven shaft A the mechanism may be impelled by 'any moving part whatsoever, the movement of which is suitable for the purpose. .Itis not necessary that it be one moving at' constant speed, although this may be desirable in some instances. I Vith` the turbine-driven shaft A for example the speed is variable, accelerating from zero to a very high rotation during 'the operation of fthe timing device.

The part controlled by the timing device,

which in the construction shown is the slide B, may be. any one of a great variety of parts, moving in a rectilinear, rotative, or other direction, and the movementof which ma control any desired mechanism.

^ example of one modification of which isa,v

metterei this invention is susceptible is shown in Fig. 4. Here the coiled spring S is replaced by a spring S. The barrel K is replaced by a slide K2 and the intervening lever H is omitted so that the spring S directly engages a recess in the slide or traveler, a fragment only of which is shown, being here lettered E. The slide K2 has a recess or opening p through which the ends of the spring pass and beyond which they project into the recess g in the traveler. rlhe ends of these respective recesses take the place of the shoulders g L z' j in Fig. 3. In the position shown the ends of the spring which tend to separate bear equally upon the ends of the respective recesses. If thetraveler slide E is displaced in either direction, it carries with it one end of the spring and leaves the other end bearing against the opposite shoulder of the recess p, so that the stress of the spring tends to restore the traveler to the central position shown. This central or starting position is adjustable by displacing the slide K2 by means of an adjusting screw r. The operation is essentially the same as that of the construction iirst described.

What l claim is l. A timing mechanism comprising an impelling part, a controlled part, a lock for the latter, a traveler driven from said impelling part and moving a determined distance to operate said lock to release said controlled part, and means operated at the end of the movement of the traveler for disconnecting it from the impelling part so that it is no longer driven thereby.

2. A timing mechanism comprising an impelling part, a controlled part, a lock for the latter, a traveler driven from said impelling part andrmoving a determined distance to operate said lock to release said controlled part. and means in connection with said controlled part tor disconnecting the traveler from the impelling part to stop the driving ci the traveler upon the release and displacement oiF the controlled part.

3. A timing mechanism comprising an impeiling part, a controlled part, a lock for the latter, a traveler, a rack and pinion connection between the impelling part and traveler whereby the latter is driven, a traveler adapted to move a determined distance to operate said lock and release said controlled part, and means acting upon the movement oi' the controlled part to separate said rack and pinion to stop the driving of the traveler whereby the parts remain inoperable until the return of the controlled part to its locked position.

4. A timing mechanism comprising an impelling part, a controlled part, a lock therefor, a timing traveler driven from saidimpeiling part, and operating said lock to release said controlled part, means for freeing the traveler upon such operation, and retracting means for restoring the traveler to its starting point when so freed.

5. A timing mechanism comprising an impelling part, a reducing train driven therefrom, a controlled part, a lock therefor, a traveler driven from said train and operating said lock to release said controlled part, a connection between the controlled part and train whereby upon such release the train is unmeshed from the traveler to free the latter, and retracting means for restoring the traveler to its starting point.

6. In a timing mechanism, a movable traveler, adjustable restoring means therefor comprising a double-acting spring, an ad- Vlustable carrier therefor, and opposite coinciding stop shoulders on said carrier and on a part connected with said traveler respectively.

- 7. ln a timing mechanism, a movable traveler, adjustable restoring means therefor comprising a coiled spring, a rod passing through said spring connected to the traveler, and an adjustable carrier for said spring, said rod and carrier having normally coinciding shoulders between which said spring is conined, whereby upon the displacement of said rod in either direction the spring is compressed and its stress tends to restore the rod and traveler to the starting position.

8. ln a timing mechanism a controlled part, a lock therefor, said controlled part tending when released to move from its locked position, an impelling part, a reducing train driven therefrom, a bearing support for said train carried by said controlled part, a timing traveler having a rack driven from said train. said rack in mesh with a pinion of said train in the locked position of the controlled part, and said parts carried out of mesh by the movement of said controlled part when released.

ln witness whereof, l' have hereunto signed my name in the presence et two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK LEAVTT.

Witnesses: v l-ll. C. Saunen, S'rrirnnn Tamiami. 

